As much as I’ve traveled within the U.S., once place I’d never visited until this year was Yosemite National Park in California. When we bought a camper van last year we put Yosemite on our list as one of the places we definitely wanted to visit. Yosemite is certainly one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever been, and the world knows it. You will find many Californians here (of course), plus people from around the world – we heard a lot of different languages being spoken on the trails and around the sights.
This 30 mile (or so) drive from Yosemite Valley is so worth it! The views from Glacier Point are awe-inspiring. If you plan ahead, you can get a tour shuttle up to the Point and take a steep one-way hike down to the Valley (about 4 miles). If I had been smart, we would have done this – the shuttle was already full when I called just a day or two in advance. There’s lots of parking at Glacier Point, but it does fill up – the good news is that people are coming and going all day long. There’s also a small gift shop and restrooms at the Point.
If you want to camp within Yosemite and especially within Yosemite Valley, you need to plan (way) ahead. We started looking at campgrounds in February for a July trip and learned there is a four month rolling reservation window, meaning we had to book our campsite in March for July dates. We wanted to be in the Yosemite Village area, right in the heart of Yosemite Valley for my first visit (my wife had visited Yosemite as a child with her parents on several occasions). We spent 3 nights/2 full days in the Park. This was long enough to give us a good introduction to Yosemite. If you wanted to hike a lot of trails and explore the far reaches of the Park, then you might want to spend a week here.
Camping in Yosemite Valley has its pluses and minuses. The main plus is that you are very close to the well-known Yosemite attractions, the main minus is the lack of solitude. Even if you book (on recreation.gov) at the right time and date (at 7 am Pacific exactly 4 months from the date of your planned visit) there is no guarantee you will get a camping spot, they fill up within seconds of being released. We were lucky and were able to get a spot in Upper Pines Campground, right next to the Merced River, almost directly below Half Dome and within minutes of many Valley attractions. I wish I had taken photos of the campground. Don’t expect privacy – the campgrounds are always full, the spots are close together with a few pine trees scattered about. Bear lockers are provided and essential. While the campgrounds have the standard restrooms and water spigots, I don’t believe any of the campgrounds have RV hookups (e.g., water, electricity, sewer), but they do have dump stations where you can take care of your RV’s needs. There are several small stores in the Valley where you can get supplies and snacks, and several restaurants as well.
In addition to typical tent/RV campgrounds, you will find other accommodation options in the Park – from luxurious lodges to cabins, established tent communities and prison-like bunks in semi-open cinder block structures that have a table and not much else (the least appealing option in my mind, these are located in Housekeeping Village).
Since we were on an extended camping trip (having also visited Lake Tahoe and Sequoia National Park as part of the same trip), access to laundry and shower facilities was helpful, these can be found at Curry Village and Housekeeping Village.
Given the volume of traffic and day trippers into Yosemite, car parking can be a challenge. If you can, bring your bicycle and leave your car or truck at the campsite, bikes are a great way to get around Yosemite Valley, the Village and adjacent hiking trails. I was glad we brought our bikes. You can also rent bicycles there.
The roads in Yosemite National Park are narrow, steep and windy, so driving is slow–it’s a big Park, so plan your time accordingly. During the summer months, if you do not have a camping (or other accommodation) reservations inside the Park you will need a timed reservation just to enter the Park, even for a day visit. The lines to enter the Park on a summer morning can be long (miles long). We came in via the Big Oak Flat entrance on the western side of the Park in the afternoon and had no wait. We left via the southwest entrance (Wawona, near Fish Camp) and saw a very long line of cars waiting to enter the Park at around 9 am. There are public buses that come to Yosemite as well from neighboring towns, and this might be an option depending on how long you want to stay.
I know my comments above may scare you away from visiting Yosemite, but in spite of the crowds, it is definitely worth the effort, just plan ahead and figure out your best options.